"Other parts of the country just have a few flurries at the moment," he said.

"There will be heavy snow over the eastern half of Scotland, with drifting in a strong easterly wind."

He warned that overnight there will be a band of rain and snow pushing in from the South West which may bring falls to some southern counties of England.

"It's going to remain cold for the rest of the week, but should turn drier. Then we should start to see a change at the end of the week, with the weather turning milder, windier and wetter." The East of England Ambulance Service issued a warning after reports of at least a dozen sledging related injuries.

While none were life-threatening, some children and adults sustained broken bones or head injuries requiring hospital treatment.

A spokeswoman said: "People should ensure they are well wrapped up and always in control while sledging and wear safety gear as appropriate.

"The fun really isn't worth it if you wind up with a painful injury in A&E."

Flynet

Standstill: Trains were cancelled all over Britain

Heavy falls in the North East made for a tricky morning commute for many.

Northumbria Police said the A68 in Northumberland was not passable, with problems at its junction with the A69.

Drivers were advised to avoid the B6341 at Rothbury and reported a four-vehicle collision on the Spine Road at Cramlington, next to the 3 Horse Shoes roundabout.

Officers also said the A1 in the Newcastle area suffered traffic congestion.

A spokesman said: "There are difficult driving conditions across the force at the current time and motorists are advised to take their time on the roads.

"Snowfall is expected throughout the rest of the day and we will continue to have officers out in the community. Gritters have been out throughout the night and will continue throughout today."

Durham Police said strong winds were causing drifts, making for poor driving conditions.

On Twitter, the force's Roads Policing Unit said: "A66 remains closed, still snowing heavily with drifting - gritters working hard to clear but winds are against us."

Northumbria Police blamed drifts for the closure of the A68 north of the Stagshaw Roundabout to the Scottish Border.

Neil Farrington, a 42-year-old senior lecturer at Sunderland University, said conditions around his home in Castleside, County Durham, were as bad as the "horrendous" winter two years ago.

The father-of-three said: "All the schools round here are closed so I have a house full of kids and dogs and none of them want to go out.

"Our 12-week-old puppy went out and disappeared in the snow, we had to dig her out.

"The boys have been out sledging over the weekend but it's too deep now. We're all stuck in the house, climbing the walls."

Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror

No fun: Even sledging is difficult now because the snow is so deep

Edmund King, president of the AA, warned of people driving so-called "snowman cars" by not clearing off the piles of snow on top of their vehicles before getting behind the wheel.

He said: "Drivers must clear the snow off their windscreens, lights and tops of their cars before setting out. This morning we have spotted lots of 'snowman cars', which are cars driving along with piles of snow on their tops.

"I saw one sports car this morning on the M3 with almost a snowman of its roof but the dangerous thing was that it was being followed by a motorcycle. The hardened snow could have been a real hazard, had it fallen off in the path of the motorcycle.

"We have also seen drivers peering out of small openings on their windscreen as if they were driving a tank. The other issue is the number of cars with their lights and indicators compacted with hardened snow.

"Drivers need to take a broom to clear excess snow off their vehicles before setting out."

He also advised motorists to stick to main roads where grit and extra traffic has helped keep the ice away.